BOOKING TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
The following Booking Conditions together with the Holiday Information appearing in this web site form the basis of your contract with Grape Escapes Limited. Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations.

In these Booking Conditions, "you" and "your" means all persons named on the booking (including anyone who is added or substituted at a later date). "We", "us" and "our" means Grape Escapes Limited. "Holiday" means the accommodation, travel and other services (as applicable) you book with us in the UK for which you make payment to us. By accessing, using, browsing on this site you agree that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and you agree to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations. Any holiday or other service you purchase using this Site will constitute a legal agreement between you and Grape Escapes Ltd. The Booking Conditions form the legal contract between you and us and govern the terms on which Holiday Services are offered and sold. Nothing in this site shall constitute an offer of goods or services. No contract shall be formed between you and Grape Escapes until you have received confirmation that we have accepted your booking.

1. BOOKING YOUR HOLIDAY:
The person making the booking must be at least 18 and authorised to do so on the basis of these Booking Conditions by all members of his/her party. The party leader is responsible for making all payments due to us. As alcohol forms an integral part of a Grape Escapes holiday, all persons going on a Grape Escapes holiday must be over 18. All names, titles and initials of those travelling should be correctly given at the time of booking. Changes cannot be made at a later date without extra charges being incurred.

Once you have made your booking and we have received all appropriate payments, we will confirm your holiday by issuing a written confirmation. This confirmation will be sent to the party leader. Please check this confirmation carefully as soon as you receive it. Contact us immediately if any information on the confirmation or any other document we send you is incorrect or incomplete as it may not be possible to make changes later. We regret we cannot accept any liability if we are not notified of any inaccuracies in any document within 14 days of our sending it out.

Please note, verbal information and quotes will not be binding on us unless confirmed by us in writing.

2 YOUR CONTRACT:
When you contact us to book your holiday, you appoint us to act as your agent in contracting transport and other services on your behalf for which we may receive commission. You accept that your booking is subject not only to these Booking Conditions but also the terms and conditions of these suppliers. A binding contract between us comes into existence when we despatch our confirmation invoice to the party leader. The contract between us and any matters arising from it shall be subject to English Law and to the jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. If you are resident in Scotland or Northern Ireland, the courts of Scotland or Northern Ireland can deal with disputes. All communications, agreements and descriptions that are to form the basis of this contract, or alter it, are to be made in writing. For items to be included in the contract, you should submit them in writing and they must be accepted in writing by us. Changes to these Booking Conditions will only be valid if agreed by one of our directors in writing.

3. PAYMENT:
In order to confirm your chosen holiday, your deposit must be paid at the time of booking. If booking within 60 days of the start of your holiday, the full cost must be paid when you book. If you wish to purchase the insurance policy we offer, all applicable premiums must also be paid at the time of booking (you must be insured - see clause 8). The balance of the holiday cost must be received by us at least 60 days before the start of your holiday. This date will be shown on the confirmation/invoice. Reminders are not sent. If we do not receive all payments (including any surcharge where applicable) by the due date, we have the right to treat your booking as cancelled by you and retain all deposits paid or due. Balances paid by credit and debit cards are subject to a 2.5% charge. Alternatively you may post us a cheque for your balance to avoid these charges. All accommodation is offered subject to restricted availability and on a first-come first-served basis. Channel crossings are subject to availability and schedules are subject to change without notice. The number of places available on any ferry is restricted and it is possible that places may be fully booked even though places may still be available for sale in a different booking class on the same service. In the event that your travel cannot be satisfied due to lack of availability or service on the requested dates, we reserve the right to offer similar travel on alternative dates with the same or an alternative carrier.

4. YOUR HOLIDAY PRICE:
We reserve the right to change any of the prices, services or other particulars contained in this brochure at any time before we enter into a contract with you. If there is any change, we will notify you before we enter into such a contract. The price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed at the time of booking. We reserve the right to correct errors in both advertised and confirmed prices. We will do so as soon as we become aware of the error. You must check the price of your chosen holiday at the time of booking. In exceptional circumstances when surcharges have been imposed on Grape Escapes, we reserve the right to pass these onto the customer. Surcharges may be imposed to cover increases in transportation costs, including the costs of fuel, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports. If this means paying more than 10% of the holiday price you will be entitled to cancel your holiday with a full refund of all monies paid except any premium paid for insurance and amendment charges. Should you decide to cancel because of this you must exercise you right to do so within 14 days of the date of the invoice. On the other hand, if any of the costs to us as listed in the above (ie fuel costs, taxes, dues etc) decreases, and the result is that the price of your holiday is reduced then you will be offered an equivalent refund.

5. SPECIAL REQUESTS AND MEDICAL PROBLEMS
If you have any special requests, you must advise us at the time of booking. For the avoidance of doubt, you should confirm any special request in writing to us as soon as possible. Although we will endeavour to pass any reasonable requests on to the relevant supplier, we regret we cannot guarantee any request will be met. Failure to meet any special request will not be a breach of contract on our part. We regret we cannot accept any conditional bookings, i.e. any booking which is specified to be conditional on the fulfilment of a particular request. All such bookings will be treated as "standard" bookings subject to the above provisions on special requests. If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your holiday, please tell us before you confirm your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate the particular needs of the person concerned, we must reserve the right to decline their reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

6. ALTERING YOUR HOLIDAY BOOKING
If you wish to change any aspect of your confirmed holiday, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. We will always try to comply with alterations to the booking where possible but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet any such requests, particularly where made within 4 weeks of the start of your holiday. We will charge an amendment fee of up to £50 per person to cover any fees imposed by ferry operators or hotels. If we are unable to make any requested change and you do not wish to continue with the booking then our cancellation charges, as detailed in section 7, will apply. The following changes will be treated as a cancellation of your holiday by you. Your amended holiday arrangements will then be treated as a new booking.
1. A change of the start date of your holiday by more than two weeks
2. Any change in your holiday dates where requested after balance due date.
3. A reduction in your holiday duration where requested after balance due date.
See clause 7 if any member of your party is prevented from travelling.

7. CANCELLING YOUR HOLIDAY BOOKING
Should you wish to cancel the whole or part of your booking once it has been confirmed, the party leader must advise us as soon as possible. He/she must notify us initially by telephone and then by letter sent by recorded delivery to us. As we incur costs from the time we confirm your booking, the following cancellation charges will be payable. Where shown as a percentage, cancellation charges are calculated on the basis of the total cost payable by or on behalf of the person(s) cancelling excluding insurance premiums and any amendment fees and charges which have already been incurred. Insurance premiums and amendment fees/charges are not refundable in the event of the person to whom they apply cancelling.

Depending on the reason for cancellation, you may be able to reclaim these cancellation charges (less any applicable excess) under the terms of your insurance policy. Claims must be made directly to the insurance company concerned. If you cancel certain elements of your holiday (for example hotel or ferry crossing) we levy an administration fee of £50 per item changed and pass on all charges levied by the supplier.

TRANSFERS: If any member of your party is prevented from travelling, you may change your booking up to 14 days before departure by transferring it to another person if you are unavoidably prevented from travelling, and the person to whom you wish to transfer the holiday meets any conditions which may apply to it. The right to transfer is subject to a payment of an administration fee of £20 per person, and the payment costs incurred in making the transfer.

8. INSURANCE
We consider adequate travel insurance to be essential. If you decide not to purchase our insurance, you must give details of your alternative policy (insurer, insurer's phone number and policy number) at the time of booking. Please read your policy details carefully and take them with you on holiday. It is your responsibility to ensure that the insurance cover you purchase is adequate for your particular needs. We do not check alternative insurance policies.

9. IF WE ALTER OR CANCEL YOUR HOLIDAY BOOKING
We start planning the holidays we offer many months in advance. Occasionally, we have to make changes to and correct errors in brochure and other details both before and after bookings have been confirmed and cancel confirmed bookings. Whilst we do our best to avoid changes and cancellations, we must reserve the right to do so. Most changes are minor. We feel that the social element of the Grape Escapes experience is an integral part of your holiday. Therefore we will not run a holiday that may compromise your enjoyment of it due to low numbers. In the event of low bookings for a particular hotel or week, we will advise you within 42 days and offer you alternative dates, accommodation or a full refund. If we need to make changes to either your hotel or departure date within 41 days of your holiday commencing, we will offer you alternative dates, accommodation or a full refund plus compensation of £20 per person.

Your options are:

(a) accepting the changed arrangements or
(b) purchasing an alternative holiday from us, of a similar standard to that originally booked if available (if the chosen alternative is less expensive than your original one, we will refund the difference but if it is more expensive, we will ask you to pay the difference) or
(c) cancelling or accepting the cancellation in which case you will receive a full and quick refund of all monies you have paid to us for your holiday.

Please note, the above options are not available where any change made is a minor one. Compensation will not be payable and no liability beyond offering the above mentioned choices can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care. No compensation will be payable if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of these booking conditions entitling us to cancel (such as paying on time).

Very rarely, we may be forced by circumstances beyond our control (see clause 10) to change or terminate your holiday after departure but before the scheduled end of your time away. This is extremely unlikely but if this situation does occur, we regret we will be unable to make any refunds (unless we obtain any refunds from our suppliers), pay you any compensation or meet any costs or expenses you incur as a result. However, where as a result of circumstances beyond our control, your accommodation becomes uninhabitable, we will endeavour to provide alternative accommodation for you, at our reasonable discretion.

10. CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Booking Conditions, we regret we cannot accept liability or pay any compensation where the performance or prompt performance of our contractual obligations is prevented or affected by or you otherwise suffer any damage or loss (as more fully described in clause 11(1) below) as a result of "circumstances beyond our control". In these Booking Conditions, " circumstances beyond our control" means any event which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. Such events may include war or threat of war, riot, civil strife, terrorist activity, industrial dispute, natural or nuclear disaster, adverse weather conditions, fire and all similar events outside our control.

11. OUR LIABILITY TO YOU
We promise to make sure that all parts of the holiday we have agreed to arrange as part of our contract are provided to a reasonable standard and in accordance with that contract. We also accept responsibility for what our employees, agents and suppliers do or do not do. We will not, however, be responsible for any injury, illness, death, loss (for example, loss of enjoyment), damage, expense, cost or other sum or claim of any description whatsoever which results from any of the following:-

(a) the fault of the person(s) affected or any member(s) of their party or
(b) the fault of a third party not connected with the provision of your holiday which we could not have predicted or avoided or (c) an event or circumstances which we or the supplier of the service(s) in question could not have predicted or avoided even after taking all reasonable care (see clause 10).
(d) the fault of anyone who was not carrying out work for us (generally or in particular) at the time.

In addition, we will not be responsible where you do not enjoy your holiday or suffer any problems because of a reason you did not tell us about when you booked your holiday or where any problems you suffer did not result from any breach of our contract or other fault of ourselves or, where we were responsible for them, our suppliers or agents or where any losses, expenses, costs or other sum you have suffered relate to any business. Please note, we cannot accept responsibility for any services which do not form part of our contract. This includes, for example, any activities, services or facilities you book or purchase locally (which includes the AOB activities in Burgundy). Any claims arising from participation in AOB activities must be made directly to AOB.

The promises we make to you about the services we have agreed to provide or arrange as part of our contract - and the laws and regulations of the country in which your claim or complaint occurred - will be used as the basis for deciding whether the services in question had been properly provided. If the particular services which gave rise to the claim or complaint complied with local laws and regulations applicable to those services at the time, the services will be treated as having been properly provided. This will be the case even if the services did not comply with the laws and regulations of the UK/Republic of Ireland which would have applied had those services been provided in the UK/Republic of Ireland.

Where any claim or part of a claim concerns or is based on any travel arrangements (including the process of getting on and off the transport concerned) provided by any sea, road or rail carrier or any stay in a hotel, the maximum amount of compensation we will have to pay you will be limited. The most we will have to pay you for that claim or that part of a claim if we are found liable to you on any basis is the most the carrier or hotelier concerned would have to pay under the international convention which applies to the travel arrangements or hotel stay in question (for example, the Athens Convention for International Travel by Sea). When making any payment, we are entitled to deduct any money which you have received or are entitled to receive from the transport provider or hotelier for the complaint or claim in question.

Limit of liability - You must provide ourselves and our insurers with all assistance we may reasonably require. You must also tell us and the supplier concerned about your claim or complaint as set out in clause 13 below. If asked to do so, you must transfer to us or our insurers any rights you have against the supplier or whoever else is responsible for your claim or complaint. You must also agree to cooperate fully with us and our insurers if we or our insurers want to enforce any rights which are transferred.

12. OUR ASSISTANCE TO YOU
If you or any member of your party suffers illness, injury or death, through misadventure, as a result of an activity which does not form part of your contracted holiday arrangements, we will provide you with all reasonable assistance.

13. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT
Our aim is for you to have an enjoyable and trouble free holiday. Should there be, however, any cause for complaint, you should inform the supplier of the service or our staff immediately. We are unable to accept responsibility for any complaint which can be rectified on site if it is not reported immediately it arises. If he/she is unable to rectify the problem to your satisfaction then you should phone our UK office on +44 8707 667617

14. BEHAVIOUR
When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by you or any member of your party. Full payment for any such damage or loss must be paid direct at the time to the hotel manager or other supplier. If you fail to do so, you will be responsible for meeting any claims subsequently made against us (together with our own and the other party's full legal costs) as a result of your actions.

You also accept and agree to be bound by the rules and regulations of the suppliers of the services and facilities which make up your holiday (copies available on request). We cannot accept responsibility for the consequences of any breach(es) of these rules and regulations.

We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. If in our reasonable opinion or in the reasonable opinion of any other person in authority, you or any member of your party behaves in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party or damage to property, we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate the holiday of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, the person(s) concerned will be required to leave the site or other service. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

15. CONDITIONS OF SUPPLIERS
Most of the services which make up your holiday are provided by independent suppliers. Those suppliers provide these services in accordance with their own terms and conditions. Some of these terms and conditions may limit or exclude the supplier's liability to you, usually in accordance with applicable International Conventions (see clause 11 (4)). Copies of the relevant parts of these terms and conditions are available on request from ourselves or the supplier concerned.

16. AOB AND OTHER LOCAL ACTIVITIES
Please note, these activities are not operated, supervised or controlled in any way by Grape Escapes Ltd. We have no involvement at all in these activities. They are all run by local companies/operators who are totally independent of Grape Escapes Ltd. Your contract will be with the local operator who is solely responsible for the activity concerned. In providing details of these activities, we have simply identified local operators who offer activities we feel will be of interest to you. We have not "vetted" the courses themselves or the operators who provide them. We do not act as agents for any of these operators. All activities are booked by you directly with the local operators during your holiday. These activities do not form any part of your contract with Grape Escapes Ltd and we regret we cannot accept any liability for them. The acceptance of liability contained in clause 11 of these booking conditions does not apply to these activities. We cannot guarantee accuracy at all times of information given in relation to such activities or that any such activities will take place or be available as these services are not under our control. The above also applies to any other activities, services or facilities booked or purchased in resort directly with/from the local operator/provider (which includes hotel owners) even where we/our representatives assist in the booking process and/or suggest particular operators/providers.

17. SERVICES, FACILITIES AND BROCHURE INFORMATION
Whilst in resort, you may be able to take part in specialist sporting activities at discount rates negotiated by us. Please note, these activities are neither run nor controlled in any way by us. They do not form any part of your contract with us even where we suggest particular operators/centres. Accordingly, we cannot accept any liability in relation to these specialist sporting activities and clauses 11 and 12 of our Booking Conditions will not apply to them. We cannot guarantee accuracy at all times of information given in relation to such activities or that any such activities will take place as these services are not under our control.

The information contained in this brochure is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of the brochure going to print. The facilities and amenities advertised in this brochure have been checked by our representatives and found to be normally available. However, whilst we do our best to ensure that facilities are open throughout the season, we cannot guarantee this and will not accept bookings which are conditional on this. Facilities may be withdrawn by the supplier concerned at any time for reasons such as maintenance, local regulations, bad weather or lack of demand from guests. Where we are informed of the withdrawal of a facility which, in our opinion, is likely to have a significant effect on your holiday arrangements, we will, where at all possible before departure, inform you of the change.

18. SAFETY
Please note, it is the requirements and standards of the country in which any services which make up your holiday are provided which apply to those services and not those of the UK. As a general rule, these requirements and standards will not be the same as the UK/Republic of Ireland and may sometimes be lower. You should therefore take all reasonable precautions to protect yourself and your party whilst on holiday. In particular you should familiarise yourself with fire procedures, swimming pool areas and any unfamiliar cooking appliances. You should also familiarise yourselves with any safety notices on site and ensure that you comply with all specifications for their use. We will not be responsible for any loss and/or damage which occurs as a result of your failure to comply with this condition.

19. PASSPORTS, VISAS AND HEALTH REQUIREMENTS
All clients must be in possession of a full 10-year passport. You MUST inform Grape Escapes if you are travelling on a British Subject's Passport. On a family passport the lead name must travel. A full British passport presently takes approximately 4 weeks to obtain. Requirements may change and you must check the up to date position in good time before departure. Information on health is contained in the Department of Health leaflet T6 (Health Advice for Travellers) available from your local Department of Health office and most Post Offices. You should obtain a completed and issued form E111 (details in leaflet T6 referred to above) prior to departure.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of all necessary travel and health documents before departure. All costs incurred in obtaining such documentation must be paid by you. We regret we cannot accept any liability if you are refused entry onto any transport or into any country due to failure on your part to carry correct documentation. If you or any member of your party is not a British citizen or holds a non British passport, you must check passport and visa requirements with the French Embassy or Consulate. If failure to have any necessary travel or other documents results to fines, surcharges or other financial penalty being imposed on us, you will be responsible for reimbursing us accordingly.

20. DELAY
We regret we are not in a position to offer you any assistance in the event of delay at your outward or homeward point of departure. In the case of delays to ferries, you are advised to contact the relevant operator directly at the time of the delay.

21. PRIVACY STATEMENT
Grape Escapes Ltd is committed to respecting your privacy. Our website is designed so that you can visit it without identifying yourself or revealing any personal information. Once you opt to provide personally identifiable information (any information by which you can be identified), it will only be used to support your customer relationship with us. In order to reserve your holiday we will ask for information from you - this will include such criteria as your name, sex, age, address, credit card details (for payment purposes) and details of any illness or disability. We do our utmost to protect the privacy of the information of our clients. We ensure that we only collect and use information that is relevant to your holiday and we take measures to ensure that such information is secure and that it is not used or passed to third parties for any purpose other than effecting your holiday arrangements.

22. LINKS TO THIRD PARTY SITES
This web site may contain hyperlinks to web sites operated by parties other than Grape Escapes Ltd. Such hyperlinks are provided for your reference only. Grape Escapes Ltd. does not control such web sites and is not responsible for their contents. Grape Escapes Ltd. inclusion of hyperlinks to such web sites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such web sites or any association with their operators.

23. CURRENCY CONVERTER
Currency rates are based on various publicly available sources and should be used as guidelines only. Rates are not verified and actual rates may vary. Currency quotes are not updated every day. The information is assumed accurate but Grape Escapes Ltd and/or its suppliers do not warrant or guarantee such accuracy.

24: FINANCIAL SECURITY
In the event of Grape Escapes Ltd’s insolvency both the consumer and the suppliers are protected by the use of a client account where money is held on behalf of the customer or supplier. Funds in this account are not available to the liquidator until all beneficiaries (all customers who have not completed their holiday) of the Trust have been paid.
Grape Escapes Ltd. is a member of the Association of British Tour Operators to France (ABTOF).

25. OUR DESCRIPTIONS
The description of the regions, hotels, and other aspects of the holidays in this brochure are based on opinions gained on visits to them and on the opinions of official bodies and guides. We have gone to considerable effort to ensure the accuracy of descriptions and information contained in our brochure.

26. SELF-DRIVE
You should mask the beam deflector part of your headlights with tape and carry a first aid kit. A set of spare bulbs, nationality sticker and insurance documents are obligatory. Speed limits in France are generally 110 kilometres per hour on autoroutes, 90kph on other major roads, and 50kph in towns. Toll autoroutes have a speed limit of 130kph; tolls are about £4 for 150km. Your licence may be confiscated if you exceed any speed limit by 25mph (40kmh). Check all your tyres and tyre pressures, oil levels and coolant systems before going on holiday. Never drive when you are tired - stop and rest or share the driving. Remember to drive on the right! (The driver's side will be nearest the kerb). Just ask us for route planners or invest in a road atlas. You must have your driving licence with you (and other drivers of your car must also have theirs), the registration document of your car (or, if you are not the owner, a letter of permission to take the car abroad) and it is still advisable to obtain a green card from your car insurance company.

27. HOTEL ROOMS
In general, rooms are available for occupancy after 4pm on your day of arrival and should be vacated by 10am on your day of departure. Your luggage can be left with the hotel reception if need be.

28. LOCAL TIMES
All times quoted on the Account & Confirmation of Booking are local. France is always one hour ahead of British time.

29. PRIVATE CHARTER FLIGHTS
Where Grape Escapes charters a plane for you, the following conditions apply;

SLOTS / TRAFFIC RIGHTS ETC.
Unless otherwise stated, all flights are offered subject to continuing departure and arrival slots, overflight clearances and traffic rights.

DIVERSIONS
If for any reason beyond its control Grape Escapes is unable for the purpose of any Flight to operate the Aircraft to or from any airport specified in the agreed schedule, Grape Escapes may operate to or from any other airport within its reasonable discretion (which may include reducing the number of outbound or inbound Sectors on any Flight if reasonably considered necessary by Grape Escapes) and shall be deemed thereby to have complied with its obligations hereunder. Where Grape Escapes arranges a transfer service by alternative means of transport to be performed by independent operators it shall be deemed to arrange such service as agent for the Customer and the passengers and shall under no circumstances whatsoever be liable for any acts or omissions of such independent operators who are not and shall not be deemed to be agents or servants of Grape Escapes. The costs of such transfer service shall be the responsibility for the Customer. In the event of any variation in costs being applicable due to any alterations in the routing of a Flight pursuant to this Clause, the Customer will be responsible for any additional costs so arising and in the event of costs being reduced an appropriate refund will be made by Grape Escapes to the Customer.

Under no circumstances shall Grape Escapes be liable for loss incurred by Customers or their passengers of whatsoever nature whether direct or indirect by reason of the cancellation or delay of a flight howsoever caused.

Grape Escapes shall be entitled to charge the full fare in the event of a diversion to another airfield due to adverse weather or other operational reasons. Grape Escapes shall endeavour to arrange for passengers to be conveyed to their destination or returned to the point of departure (at the Customer’s option) as soon as reasonably possible.